1 valve

Has anyone got a link to the recording of when Martin Dugard thumped another rider (sorry cant recall who that was) in the Eastbourne pits right in front of Suzy? her reaction was classic Suzy...

If he was in the GP then he would need a valid work permit visa for each country he intended to ride in. If he had a work permit visa that covered league racing in a country that had a GP i.e. UK or Poland then that would cover him for the GP meetings in that country. If he did not have a valid work permit visa for league racing then he would need one for the GP in that country. The same would apply if he was representing his country. However if he was granted a work permit visa for the GP or to represent Aus this would not automaticallly allow him to ride in league meetings in that country as the work permit would be for specific "international" meetings, not domestic.

Monday seems to make the most sense doesn't it?

Truth is I'm kind of worried that if the Bees chuck GH out he will finish up at Leicester - Poole not looking for a new team manager

I agree too as it will help the Lions in their fixtures v the Bees and you & Dave can come and stand with us on the first bend for making it happen

Well maybe most want success but I think some forum members prefer to have blood and promoters would be concerned about being drawn into some unnecessary dialogue (to say the least). That said I think promoters could do a lot more in terms of PR on matters other than signings and the last or next meeting and the BSPA's "official statements"

couldn't agree more. He must be the holder of the "most passes by a rider" at BP. Though on the downside, that was in PL fixtures which I guess points towards him not being a gater which in the PL may be less of a problem than the EL. There again if he had rode for Leicester in the PL his home average would have been around 10 or 11 so I suppose an 7 or 8 for EL home & away would be more than OK We can hope & dream!

Who'd be a promoter eh?!

Does anyone know if a rider is an asset for a club aka Morris is at Swindon then there is no need for the club to have a riding contract in place for a particular season i.e. 2014? I am guessing that if you are an asset you cannot just decide to ride for another club without permission from the club that owns you as an asset. However, a riding contract would set out your pay and other T&C's for the season so surely there is always the possibility that although a rider is an asset he can be unhappy at his earning potential and therfore the only way forward is to seek a transfer or a loan deal for a period untill things can work be worked out. From a Swindon perspective given the current circumstances I would have thought the long term beneficial approach for Swindon would be to loan Morris out for one season and keep the guy happy by letting him earn suitable money for 2014 before recalling him in 2015 by which time his status may be that he does not need PL racing as opportunities will arrise in Poland or Sweden. A case of Swindon promotion avoiding biting their nose off to spite their face? Maybe he just cant see how he can make a living riding only for swindon in 2014? Maybe if Swindon agree to loan him out for 2014 they will have him back for 2015 and for many more years to come.

As GRW Says in his post Years ago supporters use to have a connection with the team, they talked to the riders, the riders stayed loyal and team changes were few. This was a big thing for the supporters, who knew who was in the team every week. Winning was nice, but not uppermost. The concept of supporting speedway has completely changed, The cheque book now rules every aspect of the sport, and the supporter is nothing but an after thought. GRW is spot on and the promoters should stop and consider that as short term cheque book promoting has replaced long term loyalty development then the crowds have dropped off. Which beggs the question why would any business invest more to reap less? We know speedway has its many crazy concepts but this one must take some beating!

Apparently the 2014 plans for Morris was to ride for both Swindon & Somerset as per 2013 but Somerset had a change of plan so they could incorporate another rider in their team. As Morris needs to ride both EL & PL to make ends meet etc the only PL club that can accomodate him is Sheffield which would create too many fixture clashes with Swindon race nights to make it viable for him to stay there. The only way he will be able to stay at Swindon is if they are able to give him a big pay increase which I doubt they can afford to do given their reported tight financial position. so maybe their understandable bitter dissapointment at their loss maybe the Lions gain? I Hope so!

Should be fun...The ill educated, glass is half full brigade v the educated "we're all doomed" teamsters. Roll on the seaon

Be careful, you may be accused of looking through rose tinted glasses. Do we sit near each other at LCFC? I ask because when we were 5-3 up v Bolton the guy behind me commented that unless City get better defenders they will do well to make the play offs...Maybe there is a lot of them doom and gloom merchants around Leicester and some come to the speedway during the summer. The Scottish undertaker from Dads army comes to mind when I hear them (or read their posts)..."We're all doomed I tells ya" should be their motto!

no defence needed Jim...I wished you a happy new year - made a tongue in cheek comment on what might make for you a happy one at that and subsequently you have chosen to neither agree or dissagree on that particular comment or the remainder of the content but just argue English...on a speedway forum? As it appears you like to have the last word on things I will let you reply (if you so wish) which I will not comment on any further as this is clearly off topic & like me other members must be bored stiff by this thread! Role on the start of the speedway season then we can have something meaningful to debate!

Correct, it was not an assumtion, it was a guess (as stated) - which incidently I see you have yet to say anything to prove it (my guess) wrong. Niether. It is a strong possibility!

Not sure I am making any assumptions at all - just facts which by their nature cant be wrong. 1. Your post will continue to humour me 2. The top UK riders will be riding at Leicester for the first time in 30 years 3. I will complain and or compliment riders & promoters alike on this forum depending on the entertainment / effort/results - no rose coloured glasses or predetermined mind set from me. Good point re Zengota not getting to grips with the Leicester track - although he failed to get to grips with most "away" tracks in the UK last year as any Cov fan will tell you which is almost certainly the main reason he is not back with the Bees this year.

As a regular (neutral) attendee at Brandon I can see why you would want for a change in manager but surprised at the wish to change the presenter assuming you mean the guy on the mike who works from the centre green and pits...He seems quite professional, lucid, informed and can string quite a few words together when talking about a particular speedway related subject or indeed interviewing a rider or team manager. Now if your were to say Leicester needed to change their presenter(s) I could entirely agree on your sentiment!

Happy New year Jim. Though I guess for that to become true for you the Lions or more specifically DH will have to experience a spectacular failure during 2014! However for me 2014 is going to be a great domestic speedway year for three reasons 1. You will keep up with your regular posts that often make me smile (like this one) for the evenly balanced way you present the chips you have on both shoulders. 2. We will be seeing the top riders in the UK racing at Leicester on a weekly basis for the first time in over 30 years. 3. I will be able to compliment or complain about the team & promotion on this forum based on factual performance.

Merry Christmas to speedway fans the world over and especially a Happy New speedway year to all Lions supporters...We can expect 2014 to be a tough one, but it can also be an enjoyable one too. I look forward to the exchange of banter that is bound to arise on this forum.... Cheers all One Valve

It looksa solid looking unit thus far fairly well balanced...doesn't have an out an out "guaranteed" race winner for heats 1 & 15 but a lot of punch for at least 10 races, certainly at home. obviously last rider in needs to be able to do the business too. Has there been any indication of who the team manager will be? Think this will be an important signing.

Does Lindback ride in Poland?

Good question and a tough one to answer which I guess is something causing problems to DH in his team building plans. I am thinking that maybe not all riders who compete in Poland have the "no saturday" clause in their contracts, but those who dont obviously are not going to be out and out number 1's - to say the least. Not looking good at the moment..

Apparently KK selling his UK based transport..Only Leicester interested and he cant ride for them because his Polish club said no to him riding in UK on Saturday night. The best riders and team rivalry are two essential ingredients for good attandence at meetings. The best riders cost money (which UK speedway hasn't got) and rivalry is built up over the years, not just on location as in derbies but also because of the clashes between the team respective riders. Unfortunately this second aspect is also weak in the UK because teams keep changing their line ups so support for your a team is quite shallow. Just check back to when Speedway in the UK ruled league racing in Europe and you will see that many teams kept many of the same riders year on year. OK UK speedway hasn't the cash but it can address the second point as a start to the road to recovery.

Only if Ward is injured. Or if the other 3 riders averages total no more around 14 points i.e. 4.6 points each. and cant see the sense in that as they will be too top heavy.

The race night. Polish clubs are not happy about their riders running the risk of regularly turning up tired or injured after a Saturday night meeting. Nothing they can do about any FIM sanctioned event such as GP's but they do compensate the riders for this clause i.e. signing on fees etc. However these great pay rates can soon dissapear before the end of the season if the club is not in contention for the league or cups..Last year Greg Hancock was released by his club to save the money as soon as the trophies were out of reach - Hence he was able to fit in Poole.